Autoblog

Suzuki has teased us with three separate Kizashi concept cars and finally told us that a production vehicle based on the last concept would be coming to America in 2010. Work is apparently underway on the new Camcord competitor, and proof of Suzuki's efforts have appeared in a Southern California parking lot. Although the entire car is covered in camo, a few subtle details, including the grille and profile, appear to keep with the original concept, which garnered a substantial amount of acclaim when it was originally unveiled.

As pointed out by Autofiends, the Kizashi sedan looks a bit smaller than the vehicles it will be competing against, particularly when you consider that the Honda Accord has grown so large that it's now classified as a full-size car, akin to the Toyota Avalon and Buick Lucerne. We welcome the idea of a smaller and sportier option, especially one equipped with an offshoot of GM's 3.6-liter V6, which is expected to join Suzuki's Intelligent All-Wheel-Drive when the production Kizashi debuts next year.


[Source: Autofiends]

Click image for hi-res gallery of the Suzuki Kizashi

Hyundai is quickly proving with its Genesis luxury sedan that a lower-end Asian automaker can play in the V8-powered big leagues, and if the reports are to be believed, Suzuki wants in. The Japanese carmaker's Kizashi concepts, unveiled in Frankfurt and Tokyo last year, proved popular enough for Suzuki to move ahead with production plans and target a late 2009 roll-out. But before it settles on what form the production version will take, Suzuki is reportedly preparing a third iteration to show at the New York Auto Show in March, and this one will be powered by a V8 driving all four wheels, compared to its turbodiesel and V6 predecessors. Whether there's any truth to the reports will become evident as we weave through Manhattan traffic towards the Javits Center, so stay tuned.

[Source: AutoTelegraaf via Motor Authority]

click above image for more pics of the Suzuki Kizashi Concept

We were fans of the Suzuki Kizashi Concept when we stumbled across it at the 2007 Frankfurt show, and are equally interested in the Kizashi 2 Concept debuting in Tokyo soon. The Japanese automaker apparently likes the concepts so much that it will be spawning no less than three production Kizashi models, including a CUV, wagon and four-door sedan that will reportedly rival the Ford Mondeo in Europe. The sedan will be the first to arrive in 2009, reports AutoCar, with the wagon and CUV slated for production a year later. That fact that this news is being reported by AutoCar, a UK-based automotive news outlet, and that the sedan is pegged as a Mondeo rival suggests these vehicles might not be destined for U.S. consumption. On the other hand, resurging Suzuki needs something to replace the mid-size Verona sedan that's no longer on sale in the U.S.

[Source: AutoCar]

MotorAuthority is reporting that Suzuki will be pulling the sheet off of a new mid-level, mid-size sedan at next month's Frankfurt Motor Show. What viewers will see is a concept car called the Kizashi. It's likely to be a preview of a 2010 production model designed for global markets, probably including the U.S. Long seen as merely an economy car and SUV automaker, this model could help Suzuki further entrench itself into the mainstream.

Vehicles like the XL7 and SX4 have shown that people will buy Suzukis at slightly higher price levels, but this new concept will challenge the heart of the market. Styling, performance, and quality (nevermind that last recall) have all improved lately at Suzuki, so we're excited to see how this model shapes up. We wish we had pictures to show you now, but Suzuki itself has released nothing, not even a teaser image.

[Source: MotorAuthority]